summer’s coming

We still have a few more weeks of spring, and I’m enjoying it for the most part. All the rain helps to wash away the pollen that’s been triggering my allergies/asthma, and the weather’s been cool enough to wear a coat. Yesterday it rained almost all day yet I still had an excellent afternoon in Philly. I hit the post office and mailed out copies of THE RETURN before catching my train; we got in a little late but I got up to Mt. Airy in just fifteen minutes and toured my first apartment. The neighborhood was stunning—and so green! Huge Victorian mansions on tree-lined blocks…quiet, clean. The agent who showed me the apartment was nice, but the unit was too small. I walked over to the second apartment; it was huge but on the first floor, and I need the light and quiet that comes from being on the top floor. The agents mentioned how many New Yorkers are moving to Philly; I hate to be part of the next wave of gentrification, but Mt. Airy seems like a diverse area. I’m hoping my arrival won’t displace anyone. I talked to a third agent and then walked down Germantown Avenue—so serene in the rain. And so many beautiful murals! I snapped this photo later in the day on my way to Reading Terminal Market. On my way to the Black Writers Museum I passed a few historic houses—Cliveden, Upsal—and stopped at one for a tour. Johnson House was a station on the Underground Railroad and it was nice to see a portrait of Sarah Bass Allen as part of the exhibit on abolitionist women. The wonderful docent gave me some tips on pursuing my own genealogical research and was excited to learn that I write for kids. I can see several Philly books in my future…I’m ready for a change. Two trips this month, two final gigs in June, ALA in New Orleans, and then it’ll be time to pack!

The We’re the People 2018 Summer Reading List is out, and I’m honored that A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT is on the young adult list. I love their mission and the fact that they don’t focus on new releases from the Big 5—this is a truly inclusive list!

Are you looking for a curated summer reading list that celebrates diversity and all its intersections? The team at We’re the People select books that are by and about IPOC (Indigenous and People of Color), people with disabilities and people from the LGBTQ+ community. Chosen books are thoroughly discussed, vetted and given second reads.

2018 Summer Reading List PDF 

WTP team members: Tad Andracki, Edith Campbell, Laura M. Jimenez, Alia Jones, Sujei Lugo, Lyn Miller-Lachmann & Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez